KSA adds 155 Mbit/s Internet link to rest of world

Saudi Arabia has added a 155 Mbit/s Internet link to the rest of the world via the FLAG undersea cable.

Saudi Arabia has added a 155 Mbit/s Internet link to the rest of the world via the FLAG undersea cable. FLAG is a high-speed fibre-optic link that stretches from the Middle East to New York via London.

The additional bandwidth is available to KACST immediately for distribution to the multiple private ISPs in the Kingdom.

In a Saudi Press Agency report, Khaled ibn Muhammad Al Mulhem, acting president of Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC), said that the installation of the new system is the first phase of an expansion plan for this year.

A second 155 Mbit/s link will be added before the end of the year and a "third phase" expansion is being planned for next year.

Faster and Cheaper

The effect of the expansion this month, and with future bandwidth improvements, will be to make the Internet faster and cheaper, Al Mulhem, told SPA.

In parallel with the international bandwidth expansion, STC has also been working on network improvements within the Kingdom. The improved network will be linked into the rest of Saudi Arabia's Internet infrastructure in a few months, said Al Mulhem.